Page � — The Best Times — October �007

Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in the United States, affecting more than 46 million Americans, including 300,000 children. Arthritis costs the economy more than $128 billion annually and limits people’s activity more frequently than heart disease, cancer, or diabetes. And it might surprise you to learn that 80 percent of adults in this country have arthritis or know someone who has it.

If you are among the 80 percent, you may believe there is nothing you can do to limit arthritis’ debilitating effects on you or a loved one. Well, I want to educate you about a simple and effective program that can help you live a better life in just six weeks.

The Arthritis Foundation Self-Help Program is a comprehensive self-management course developed by Stanford University in 1979. Stanford’s research revealed that people who believed they could exert some control over their pain actually experienced less pain and more freedom of motion.

This discovery led to the creation of the Arthritis Foundation Self-Help Program. The program’s primary focus is to increase self-efficacy, the belief that you can influence your own thoughts and behavior, as a primary tool to

combat the devastating effects of arthritis.Can six weeks really make such a difference?

Lenexa resident Ruth Attebury knows it can. She said she started feeling a positive difference in her life after only the second session and then it got even better.

“More than anything, it helps me sleep longer at night,” Attebury said of the program’s effects. “When I sleep better, I feel better.”

Participants and facilitators meet for two hours each week for six weeks. Initially they discuss the many types of arthritis, its pain cycle, and causes of depression. Next, they learn and practice cognitive behaviors such as visualization, distraction, relaxation, and positive self-talk, and strategies such as exercise, medication use, and fatigue management to help them control their arthritis pain and their life. Although exercise is discussed and encouraged throughout the program, this is not an exercise class.

Helen Phipps, who participated in the program at the Shawnee Library, said, “I can’t remember ever spending 12 hours on anything and getting so much benefit out of it. It’s just wonderful!”

Cherie Torney, one of the two facilitators in

Phipps’ class, remarked how much fun it is to watch people’s attitudes, confidence, and actions progress over the six weeks.

The Arthritis Foundation’s secret elixir is not really a secret. The Self-Help Program empowers its participants through a proven system of individual action plans. In each of the six weekly sessions, every participant makes an action plan—setting one goal for that week, strategizing how to accomplish it, and sharing the plan with the group. The following week, participants discuss their challenges and successes and strategize how to overcome obstacles. The socializing, laughter, encouragement, and positive feedback in every session uplift the entire group. The result is a feeling of empowerment, enthusiasm, and renewed inner strength.

Sheldon and Ginny Levy of Lenexa recently shared two hours of their 59th wedding anniversary in an Arthritis Foundation Self-Help class. Sheldon joked that all his renewed energy might help him make it another 59 years!

Every participant receives a copy of the 368-page Arthritis Help Book, the Arthritis Drug Guide, and the Arthritis Supplement Guide. Participants are encouraged to read the materials to increase their understanding of how their actions can help control their arthritis symptoms. These resources stimulate conversation in each session, reinforce weekly topics, and are invaluable references for life after the Arthritis Foundation Self-Help Program.

The true beauty of the program is that it only takes six weeks to learn and implement the techniques. Classes start throughout the year all over the Kansas City area. As I wrote this article in August, three classes were taking place in Johnson County alone. A new class starts at the Mid- America Rehabilitation Hospital in Overland Park on Oct. 22. Call Debbie Cooper, 913-262-2233, to join in. Better yet, call her to schedule a class for your church, club, or neighborhood group. You have nothing to lose but your pain and stiffness.

Will the Arthritis Foundation Self-Help program work for you? Like any self-help program, you will get out of it what you put into it. If you are ready to break your pain cycle and surmount arthritis and similar ailments, this is the program for you. It is not difficult, it does not take a lot of time, and, unlike the products touted in those late-night infomercials, with the Arthritis Foundation Self-Help Program you really can change your life in just six weeks!

Jim Starshak, MS, is an active Arthritis Foundation volunteer and committee member. A U.S. Army Special Forces disabled veteran, Jim is president of The Home Gym (www.thehomegym.net), a personal health and fitness business in Shawnee, where he teaches t’ai chi, first aid, and CPR.

Arthritis pain? Feel better in just six weeks!By Jim Starshak